Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1941 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
lonorabl. W. A. Davis, W. 0.
state Registrar
Jimto Board o? Health
Austin, Texar
0 YOUP idit0~ 0r
Jarmary ZE, 194 61 to e ooopt for
filfng the Fe00 U8lT ragl~torml*
[under the pror a leas, 46th Leglr-
latura, itule 81 rll Statute*) when,
thr Pmbate Oourt
rk or by th. Dsptntr
e name of the County Judge ia
er with II rtaap.
w~reoiate your reepondlr& to oyr reqwst 0r
January 28, 1941, for addItiona information by rupp4Ug
1~s with ths moords in your hand@ whiti are the mbJ*ot OS
inquiry. There an nturnod hm%wlth.
The partianlar paragraph BZ 8. I).614, tits 1939,
Foptj-8ixth Legtrlature, mvmea, read0 as mmm:
*Aa4 prerl&es¶iulrther, that w 0ttlsW
o? the 6t&e of Texar wishLng 0~ ill* the MO-
Honorabl4 W. A. Davis, 94. D. Page 2
ord of any birth or death, not previously reg-
lrtered, may submgt to the Probate Court In the
oounty where the birth or death occur4d, a reo-
ord of that birth or death wrltt4n on the adopted
forms of birth and death oertiflaates. The oer-
t Ifioate lhall be sub&ant latad by the aff Idavlt
of the nedloal attendant present at the time of
the birth, or in oara of death, the affldavlt of
the phyelolan lart in attend~anoe upon the deoe&sed,
or the undertaker who burled the body. When thr
affidavit of the medical attendant or undertaker
omnnot be secured, the certlfloat4 shall be rup-
ported by the gffldavlt of soma person who was
aaqualntad with the Iaats surrounding the birth
or death, at the time thr blrth or death oooured,
wlth e reaond affidavit o? eom4 person who 1s
loqualnted rlth the facts eurroundlng the birth
or death and who is not related to the Individual
by blood or marrlaga. The Probate Court shall
require 4uoh other informatIon or lvidenoe as
may be deemed neoerrary to establish the oItIr4n-
4hID of the Indlviduil filina the oertlfloate.
and the truthfulness of the &atemente made 16
tibn 21 of thin Aot. Suoh-certLfied coplra 8hiill
be prim& faoie evidence in all Courts and plao44
of the faote stated thereon. xhe State Burem
of Vital Statirtlos shall furnish the forms upon
whioh such reoordr are filed, and no other form
shall be used for that purpose.* (Undsreoorlng
oure )
In Opinlixs Nos. o-1201, o-1203, and O-1709 we
held that the applioatlons oontemplated In the above rtat-
ute should be aoaorded the dignity of probate proceedings,
th*t the oas6;e should b4 docketed by th4 probate olrrk anb
that all proceedings had in oonneotlon therewith should b4
entered In the minutes of the probate court.
We held In Oplnlon No:;O-1065 that th,e oounty
Judgs I6 4ntltl4a to a fee of Plftr C4ntr (SO+) for rntsrlng
aonormble W. A. pavls, W. D. Page 3
the order end the oounty olerk is rntltlad to g like f44
for oertlfylng the order and rsoords to the Stats Registrar.
We further points& out In Opinion No. O-1079 that
the State Registrar Is not authoriced to refuse to rooept
:;L;;;ing a reoord of birth which on its f&or IIIteohnisglly
.
Let us examins ths orders In qusstlon in the light
of those oplnlonr. Th4y mre on forms provided by the Bummu
Of Vital StPtIStIQS &IX&pMId4 88 follOw8:
.
f :
1 lSTA!l’EOF TEXAS a
1 COUNTY OF BASTROP 3
.
1 :
I THE BIRTH CERTIFICATEOP Aormoe Berman Yett, I
1 lttmohed hereto, YIS submitted to this Court, as :
1 yo;lfl@d for In H. B. No. 614, 40th Leg., R. 9. :
1 . :
: :
: It is the order of this Court that this rsoord :
1 13EACCEPTED by ths State Registrar for filing in :
t the 0tmte Bureau OS Vltml Btmtlstlos. :
:
1 8lgmture ( Signed) TlirgalJoaepCo.Clp i
1 D&e January 27, 1941. Of astrop ounty.
.
z :
: l* . *
:
1 :
: ~lgnature Floml Mltohsll ,County Clerk.
(Typed) :
: O? l&nLeananCounty. :
: By (Signed) 0. w. N~Nasmrm, Deputy. !
: Dmte January 27th, 1941.' I
1 I
f
: n* 4 4 i
: Signature (Stamped) 0eo.~.W~:X~!Wm@%.Go. Judge.1
: Chester Watson.~Deputr - :
: Date l-24 1B41.(Signed) of Dallas County.*- t
Honor&b14 W. A. Dsvls, N. D. Page 4
4.
: :
*4 4 l
: :
x
: slgnsturs (Stampsd) J. E. Abernmth~,Co.~dg4~
t Of Oollln County. a :
1 Dots J&n. 23, 1941. :
I :
The statute 9r4vld4s that *the Clerk of ths arid
Oourt shall forward the c4~tlfIo&te to the State Bureau of
Vital 8tmtlstIoe with an order from the court to ths State
Rsglstrmr that the rsoord be, or bs not, mooOpted. n We hsve
polntsd out that ml1 proo4salags under B. 8. Ro. 614 should
b4 rii44, 400k4t44 and 4ntar44 in the minutes. The most
Seas5.bls msan4 for the olrrk to dlsoharge the duty lmpored
open him by th4 statuts would be to iorwmrd to ths Stats
R4gIstrmr a oertlfled oopy of th4 oountr Judge18 order. In-
ass4 M hare held thmt hs is sntltle4 to issa for suoh mot
snd it Is our opinion that the State Reglstrmr should rooept
for filing a csrtlfloits forward44 him ar provldsd In A. B.
No. 614 when It 1s rooompmaled by the oounty olsrk’r osrtlfled
OOPTof sn order of the oounty Judge.
Th4 0141% ha6 not don4 this In the or44re vhlsh
v4 hays numbered 1 an4 2. The first purports sot to b4 the
or&r OS the county J'udg4,but th4 Ord4r 0f th4 oOUtit~ dllerk
‘hlnsslf; the sooond purports to b,r the order of the County
Olsrk through his dsputy.
It Is our opinion mad you are mdrlsed that the
State Regletrmr is zot muthorl~sd to soo4pt for filing reo-
ords OS delayed rrgistrmtlon of birth when aoaompmnlad by
mn order of th4 'oounty olerk or hIs deputy that they be
soospted, and not aooompmnlsd by &I! order (or aertIflsd
sopy thereof) from ths oounty judge. We mre not to be un-
derstood 8s holding that th4oounty clerk or his deputy msy
not forward a certified oopy of the order of the oouaty
Judge. Indssd, w4 believe this Is thr oorr4ot proosdure.
9mler No. 3 b4arr the stamps& signature of th4
Oounty Judge ben4mth whloh Is th4 wrltt4n 6lgnature of 8
clerk in his offiae. Order No. 4 beam the stsmped signs-
turs ot th4 County Judge clon4.
Bonorablo W. A. Darls, W. D. Page 5
The tests the State Reglatrar rhould employ In
Q~IIOBof thle ohraoter ehould be: Are the rsoortlr fair
on their face and do they appmr to oome from oompetent
luthorltj? If ther are fair on their faor and do appear
to oome irom competent authority thay ehould be aooepted.
It la well settled that a printed or staaped
rlgnaturoof a Judge or oourt offloer irruing an ardor or,
writ Ir a sufflolent authentloatlon, fulfIllIng the rrqulm-
lent of a aigmture, where suoh signature har, In offrot,
been adoptad by the Issuing offlorr. 38 A. L. R. 703;
Wlller T. State (l890-- Slgnatur8 of proreoutlng attorney
typed on the Indictment), 36 Tex. Crlm Rep. 47, 35 E. W.
391; Tenement House Department v. Well (1QlB -- Bubber etamp
rignature) 76 Xlro. 275, 134 N. Y. Supp. lOd!Z$ Loughron v.
Bonnlwrll Ii904 -- StenoI slgnaturm of Ju@tIos .ofthe praor)
125 Iowa 516 106 A. St. Rep. 319, 101 H. W. 26?i Blrder
Jud 4’4 slgnrturs irprr44rd br olerk),
:: i?y$: 'i0"9 -ihhg y 374 43 L J Q B g 5 133
SO L: T. x.‘S.‘37i 22 &k. bp e iO&OOi V: &4ii (i602--
probata ofder of r&r and IsInute;'unaignsd by Judged 95 Tex.
582, 60 0. w. 775.
Moreover, while a Judge or pub110 oiilolal y
not delegate alroretlonary dutirs, mera meohanIoa1 or mInIa-
terlal dutlor (suoh aa the rot of writing a nam.) may be
delegated to others. Hoeohm,
(1890) aeor. 667-568; Opinion
It ir therefore our further oplnlon and you are
6drIaed that the Btate Registrar $8 authorlted to aoorpt ior
tiling rroordr ot belayed regIstrationa of birth a8 qrovldob
in 8. B. No. 614, aupra, when aooompanIrd by order6 of the
oounty Judge bearing hIe rtamprd olgnature an& the written
rlgnatura of him olsrk, or, bearlng hi8 atamped signature
alone.
BY j"
D. Smullen
JD$:LW Aaslstmt
~3?ClASURES